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Saturday, 17 May 2014

No-Sew: T-Shirt to Handbag with adjustable strap

Today's not a crochet day for me. Instead, I've decided to share a DIY project... but first, some background info...

Every year, East Coast Radio hosts The Big Walk: a 5, 10, 15 or 20km walk along the beach / coast area here in Durban.

Last year, I walked the 5km with my brother and sister, with the intention of increasing the distance each year. However, this year Hubby is joining us and he's doing the 5km so I decided to do the 5km with him again.

The fun thing about The Big Walk is THE GOODIE BAG! Lots of little samples, an entrance ticket to the East Coast Radio House & Garden show next month and a T-Shirt for the walk... Well worth the entry fee.

Now, I don't wear T-shirts because I dress Islamically with Abaya. But, I love incorporating the Big Walk T-Shirt into my race-day outfit. Last year, I cut up the T-Shirt and wore it as a Hijab (a head covering). Pity I don't have a pic of that.

This year, I already have a beautiful head scarf which matches my trainers EXACTLY, so I looked for another way of incorporating the T-Shirt...

And here's what I did:

T-shirt to bag (with adjustable strap): No sewing required

1. Fold the T-Shirt down the centre, making sure all edges meet neatly. Note: I always request the largest size T-Shirt available so that I have more 'fabric' to play with. This year it's a XXXL.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

2. Working from the bottom of the T-Shirt, mark a line +- 7cm from the edge. This will be the bag strap. Then, mark another line above that. Mine was marked at 18cm from the edge. This will be the base of the bag. Depending on how deep you'd like you bag, adjust the placement of this mark.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

3. Cut along the first marked line. I used zigzag scissors for the cutting.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

﻿﻿4. Working on the larger piece, slit the side seams as high as the second marked line. This picture shows the four layers slit.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

5. Keeping your slits approximately 1" apart, slit the bottom of the T-Shirt until the marked line. This is the base of the bag, and will become the frilly bit you see in the pictures.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

6. Making sure all the layers are neatly lined up on the sleeve hems, mark a cutting line about 1cm above the hem. Cut it out.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

7. Once you cut open all the little pieces to create a long strip and 2 short ones, this is what it should all look like.

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

7. Next to close up the base of the bag without sewing, tie 2 or 3 knots on each corresponding strip.

CrochetBTW: T-Shirt to bag tutorial

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

When you're done, check to see if there are any holes between the knots. If there are, tie some knots using two adjacent strips so that the hole is closed.

This is what you'll end up with:

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

8. Next, pleat the fabric from the neckline to the end of the sleeve, along the shoulder seam.

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

9. Using one end of the longer strip, tie a secure knot (with a bow, if you like). Do this to both shoulder seams. You could adjust the length of the bag handle here, but I kept the handle as long as possible by using only a minimum amount of the strip to tie the knot and bow on each end.

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

10. The bag is taking shape now. All you need to do is close up the sleeves. Do this with the 2 shorter strips. Simply, bunch the sleeve fabric together and secure it with a short strip.

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial

11. Ta-dah!

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial (No-sew)

The bag can be worn with a long strap...

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial (No-sew)

Or with a short strap...

CrochetBTW: T-shirt to bag tutorial (No-sew)

﻿﻿And that's that for today!

I'll let you know how the walk goes tomorrow. The atmosphere was amazing last year. I'll share some pics with you next time.